Germany's leading offshore wind industry associations have published their latest assessment of the country's offshore wind sector, reporting continued capacity growth while calling for an urgent reform of the Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG). The market update is based on data compiled by Deutsche WindGuard on behalf of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), the German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO), VDMA Power Systems, WAB, WindEnergy Network and the Offshore Wind Energy Foundation.

According to the report, Germany had 1,764 offshore wind turbines in operation as of June 30, with a combined installed capacity of 10.8 GW. During the first half of 2026, 84 new turbines totaling 1,077 MW were connected to the grid, pushing the country's offshore wind fleet beyond the 10 GW milestone.

The report also shows that 22 additional turbines (323 MW) are currently under construction at the Borkum Riffgrund 3, He Dreiht and North Sea Cluster A offshore wind farms. Meanwhile, projects representing 2.6 GW have already reached final investment decisions (FIDs), while a further 17.5 GW have secured auction awards but have yet to reach FID. Under current plans, Germany aims to install 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2032.

Industry seeks overhaul of auction framework

Despite continued deployment, the associations argue that recent auction results highlight the need for urgent legislative changes. In particular, they point to the absence of bids in the August 2025 tender as evidence that the current auction design is no longer fit for purpose.

The organizations are calling for the introduction of indexed two-sided Contracts for Difference (CfDs) to replace the existing negative-bidding model, which they say would reduce financing risks, improve project bankability and provide greater investment certainty. They also advocate for a mechanism to support long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), making them more attractive to lenders and industrial electricity consumers.

Focus on project pipeline and industrial competitiveness

The associations also urged the government to safeguard the delivery of offshore wind projects awarded between 2023 and 2025. They proposed exploring legal mechanisms that would allow projects that can no longer proceed under current market conditions to be bought back and re-tendered, ensuring that offshore sites and grid connections can be reassigned without delaying future deployment.

Beyond project development, the industry stressed the strategic importance of maintaining a stable offshore wind pipeline to support domestic manufacturing, supply chains and port infrastructure. According to a study commissioned by BWO, the offshore wind sector currently supports around 49,000 jobs in Germany, with the associations arguing that regulatory certainty and fair competition will be key to sustaining investment and industrial value creation in Germany and across Europe.